Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s) to Rome. Your meals will be served on board.

Welcome to Rome, also known as “The Eternal City.” Upon landing at Rome airport, claim your baggage and proceed to the Arrivals Hall, where your tour guide and/or driver will greet you. Following check-in at the hotel, enjoy some free time to unpack, relax, or explore Rome on your own. Your tour escort may suggest places to visit. Later this afternoon, your group will meet in the hotel lobby for a meet and greet with fellow pilgrims and your priest. You will depart together for Mass, and following Mass, you will attend a welcome dinner. After dinner, you have to opportunity to join in a walk to St. Peter’s Square for the Rosary (optional).

This morning, we will attend the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square or at the Audience Hall. The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness, Pope Francis (pending the papal schedule). Next, the Trevi Fountain area for some free time and lunch (on your own). This afternoon, visit the oldest of the four major Basilicas in Rome, the Archbasilica of St. John the Lateran, the cathedral church, and the seat of the Bishop of Rome. Cross the street to the very steps that lead up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem which Jesus climbed on His way to trial during his Passion. Then we will visit Church of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, where the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is located. After the Holy Mass will be celebrated by our priest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Dinner and overnight.

Today we tour St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was martyred. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to view Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture and pray at the tombs of Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. Next, you will visit the Vatican Museum, where you can see the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, and Sistine Chapel. After lunch, continue down the Appian Way, one of the earliest roads built in ancient Rome to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and the Catacombs. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Following breakfast, you will board your bus to enjoy the scenic route passing through the Roman countryside which is known for its villas and vineyards. During the bus ride, your tour escort will share interesting information regarding the spiritual, historical, and cultural aspects of Italy. Our first stop will be Cascia, known as Saint Rita of Cascia, and her message of dialogue and peace. Today, pilgrims and devotees come from all over the world to visit this small village and experience moments of true spirituality. Cascia is in the heart of the Valnerina, where the flavors of the typical cuisine are complemented by the refinement of the works of art. We will be immersed in the natural landscape characterized by mountain peaks, rivers and streams, enclosed valleys, and ancient villages waiting to be discovered. Continue to Assisi, hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare, with dinner and overnight at your hotel.

As you visit the birthplace of St. Francis, you will become captivated as the atmosphere has not changed since St. Francis began his ministry, in the early 13th century. You will start your tour at the St. Francis Basilica, visit his tomb, and have the opportunity to view a series of frescoes depicting his life, along with a few of the saint’s possessions. The group will celebrate Mass at St Francis’s tomb (pending confirmation). Following Mass will be a visit to the Santuario Della Spogliazione where Blessed Carlo Acutis’ tomb is placed. Carlo is the first millennial to be declared Blessed who loved the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. From there, you will continue with a walking tour through this picturesque town, including the birthplace of St. Francis, and the Bishop’s House. Enjoy some free time on your own – you may take this time for additional prayer or shop in the many gift shops. After lunch, you will board the bus, which will take you outside of the walls of Assisi, to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This is where St. Francis spent most of his life. This Basilica is made up of two structures, both of which you will visit. The first structure is the “Porziuncola”, which is where St. Francis founded his order of the Friar Minor (Franciscans). The second is the “Capella del Transito”, which is the place of St. Francis’ death. During your time here, you will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful Rose Garden where St. Francis and other friars lived and prayed. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight.

This morning, you will ride through the beautiful Umbrian mountains to Orvieto. This incredible town sits on a volcanic high rock formation. Here we visit one of the most beautiful and renowned Cathedrals in Italy. Because of its strategic location, its Christian history officially started in 1004, but Orvieto was built over preexisting Etruscan-era cave tunnels dating back 2,500 years, which some historians believe Christians used to celebrate Mass when Christianity was forbidden. Continue to Florence. Upon arrival in Florence, you will notice immediately that it is the land for art lovers. Some of the most world-renowned artists are from Florence such as Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello, and many others. For the remainder of the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to explore the streets of Florence at leisure. In the evening gather for dinner, followed by an overnight.

In Florence, your day begins with breakfast, followed by a guided tour. The tour starts at the Church of the Holy Cross, the Santa Croce, where many nobles are buried, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. Continue to walk by Piazza Signorina, Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, and Republic Square to the Santa Maria del Fiore. This Cathedral is an iconic piece of architecture of the city of Florence. It was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in the 13th century. Next, a visit to L’Accademia, the well-known art gallery. At this gallery, you will have the opportunity to view the work of artists such as Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pontormo, and the ever-famous sculpture by Michelangelo, David. This afternoon you will have time to explore Florence on your own. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following breakfast at your hotel, board the motorcoach for your transfer to Pisa. You will visit the incredible Leaning Tower and the Cathedral in the Square of Miracles. Continue to Cinque Terre for dinner and overnight.

A boat trip to the Cinque Terre is one of the best ways to discover this beautiful coastline with its rugged cliffs, turquoise water, and colorful fishing villages. Stops will include Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore. In Monterosso, we will visit the Convent of the Capuchin Friars. A soul’s place in which Franciscan serenity and a profound spirituality are experienced daily. The small fishing village Vernazza is most characteristic of the Cinque Terre and is classified as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Here you will find the Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia, built on the rocks overlooking the sea, and the Tower of the Doria Castle. We will enjoy some wine tasting or olive oil tasting along the way, possibly on one of the farms in the area of Riomaggiore. Dinner and overnight in Cinque Terre.

Today the highlight of our tour will be visiting the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist which houses one of the Catholic faith’s most cherished relics: the Holy Shroud of Turin. The Sacred Shroud is believed to be the same in which Christ was buried after His crucifixion and death. If on display, you will have the opportunity to view the Holy Shroud, which St. John Paul II called “a mirror of the Gospel”. This Cathedral is also where Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, was buried in 1925. Our tour continues to Santuario della Consolata, a Marian sanctuary to venerate the tomb of St. Joseph Cafasso as well as Bl. Giuseppe Allamano: two Italian priests who served the Lord with great love. As a young man, one of Bl. Giuseppe’s Spiritual Directors was St. Don Bosco. Next to the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, the home founded for impoverished boys by St. Don Bosco, and is now where both he, St. Dominic Savio, and other saints are buried. A beautiful painting of Our Lady under the title “Mary Help of Christians” adorns the main altar. Dinner and overnight in Turin.

Today we leave Turin for Milan. Upon arrival, visit the famous Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” (pending confirmation). Our visit continues to the magnificent Duomo Cathedral of Milan. This cathedral is the largest in Italy and is a symbol of faith and art which spans over six centuries. Buried here is St. Charles Borromeo. When the Protestant Reformation was spreading through northern Europe, St. Charles staunchly defended the Catholic faith by eradicating corruption and educating the clergy until he died in 1584. We will visit the Sant’Ambrogio Basilica; one of Milan’s oldest churches. It was built by St. Ambrose, the great confessor, and Doctor of the Church, who was appointed as Bishop of Milan from 374-397. St. Ambrose is buried in the Basilica along with Saints Gervase and Protase (early Christian martyrs). Dinner and overnight in Milan.

Spend the morning exploring the treasures of Lake Como. Board a private “Venetian-style” wooden motorboat for a picturesque ride across Lake Como with a local guide. Behold a panorama of colorful waterside villages and elegant estates, fringed by palms and pines, and backed by soaring mountains. Continue to Villa del Balbianello, an elegant and romantic estate built back in the 15th century on a peninsula. Return to your hotel for farewell dinner and overnight.

After heartfelt farewells breakfast, take a flight from Milan Airport for return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.